Contest Winners Announced!

WINNERS ANNOUNCED IN PUBLIC MAPPING CONTEST HOSTED BY THE NON-PARTISAN ARIZONA COMPETITIVE DISTRICTS COALITION

<See Below for Maps. All Contestant Maps will be made live on Redistrict Arizona for download and further development. Look under Shared Plans” for maps with the names of Disney Characters.>

Phoenix, Arizona August 2, 2011 –

A judging panel created by the Arizona Competitive Districts Coalition and overseen by the Arizona League of Women Voters has selected 2 winners in each category of Legislative and Congressional maps, as well as a special Honorable Mention for each.

According to Competitive Districts Coalition Co-Chair, Ken Clark, “our goal was to demonstrate that a public mapping tool like Redistrict Arizona can focus the creative ideas of the public in a constructive way to support the redistricting process.”

ACDC Co-Chair, Roberta Voss said “putting the mapping more in the hands of communities means more relevant mapping and a greater competition of ideas.”

Winners and judges comments to follow.

Best Congressional Maps:
Stuart Wright of Ohio
Glenn Jacques of Phoenix, Arizona

Judges said the following of Mr. Wright’s map:

“While the software lists this map as having 5 competitive districts there is another district at 56.8%.  This is very impressive for 9 total districts.

There was unconventional drawing of southern districts in this map, which can (at first glance) be startling. However, this takes the entire Arizona/Mexican border as one community of Interest, which may very well be a useful approach.

“Compactness was good, and all districts were within a 1% deviation for equal population.  Voting Rights Act (VRA) requirements were met with district 1 at 53.17% and district 8 at 50.12% Hispanic minority /majority districts.”

Judges said the following of Mr. Glenn’s map:

“This map also did very well in regard to competitiveness.  It is listed as 4 out of 9 districts being competitive, but also has another district at 55.36%, which borders on being a competitive district as well. This map approached Tucson in a less divisive manner than some other congressional maps.”

“While district 3 may seem to leave Fountain Hills out in a rural area at first appearance, it is partnered with much of Paradise Valley and northern Scottsdale. So while not a competitive district, it does not appear unreasonably matched with the contiguous rural areas that are also in the district.”

“The judges felt that there was reasonable handling of clear communities of interest.”

“Voting Right Act requirements were met with district 4 at 53.32% and district 8 at 45.55% Hispanic minority /majority districts.”

Best Legislative Maps:
Sam Almy of Tucson, Arizona
Glenn Jacques of Phoenix, Arizona

Judges said of Mr. Almy’s map:

“This map has developed an excellent level of competitive districts at 9 out of 30, with a 10^th close at 53.7%.

Tucson is split but in reasonable ways according to the judges.”

Judges said of Mr. Glenn’s map:

“This map has developed a very good level of competitive districts at a recorded 7 out of 30, with two other districts around 44%.”

“This map had a better split for Sierra Vista than many.  It includes affluent areas of rural Tucson and Sierra Vista.”

“One district covers more than half the Arizona/Mexican border, and another completes that border.  The judges saw this as a way to concentrate border issues and that these districts can be seen as a community of interest in that way.”

“The judges gave honorable mention to Marcia Busching for her congressional map, that created 3 out of 9 competitive districts. They recognized Stuart Wright for his legislative map, which 6 competitive districts, technically, but which had three more districts that were very close to the competitive measure set out by the contest.”

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An awards-ceremony and press conference took place on August 2^nd at 3pm at the Arizona Capitol Museum in the Parlor room. The maps will be presented to the Independent Redistricting Commission on August 3rd.  A report of the judges on the winning maps will be available on August 2^nd at the press conference and on line at www.azredistricting.com. The winning maps will be available on the Redistrict Arizona mapping tool, found through www.azredistricting.com.

Dr. Barbara Klein of the Arizona League of Women Voters said “Our judges did an outstanding job on a process that is highly technical and which requires a great time commitment. We are very grateful.”

 

The panel members included:

Jose Penalosa (Republican, Maricopa County, Attorney-state bar member in Arizona and Colorado.  He is a member of “Somos Republicans,” where he serves as the national Spanish spokesperson.  Long time AZ resident, he has served as a volunteer attorney at Proyecto San Pablo -”American Beginnings”- located in Yuma and with “Mi Familia Vota” a U.S. citizenship project.  He is currently in private practice in Phoenix.

D. Jay Stanforth (Democrat, Pima County, retired after 30 years in teaching.  He is a former Arizona Educational Foundation Teacher of the Year-Ambassador of Excellence, recipient of AEA’s Christa McAuliffe “I Touch the Future I Teach” award.  He was also the first AZ teacher to be recognized with the National Education Association Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence. He has served as president of the Flowing Wells Education Association and on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Education Association.

Tricia Gerrodette (Independent, Cochise County, Activist, she has run for Sierra Vista city council twice and won a seat on the board of directors for the Upper San Pedro Water District, although the district itself was not established.  She is currently president of Huachuca Audubon Society and of the Arizona Council of Audubon Chapters.  For more than a decade, she has been active in the League of Women Voters serving on the board of directors at the local and state level.